Is sex safe during pregnancy?

You can keep having sex right up until your waters break in a normal pregnancy. If you are experiencing problems in your pregnancy, such as a low lying placenta or bleeding, or if you have a history of cervical weakness, check with your doctor or midwife before engaging in sex.

Having sex is not associated with early miscarriage in normal pregnancies. Studies have indicated that there is no connection between having sex during pregnancy and premature birth. One study found that pregnant women who had regular sex were less likely to give birth prematurely.

Baby won't get hurt by love making, even with your partner on top. There is a thick mucus plug that seals the cervix and helps to guard against infection. The strong muscles of the uterus and the amniotic sac also protect baby. Your baby may thrash about after orgasm, but that is because of your pounding heart, not because they feel pain.

There are circumstances in which you will be advised not to have intercourse. These include bleeding, abdominal pains or cramps, broken waters, a history of cervical weakness, or have placenta previa, a low lying placenta, especially if you have experienced any bleeding. You may also be advised to avoid sex during pregnancy if your partner has genital herpes. There is a small risk that it could affect your developing baby if you catch genital herpes for the first time during pregnancy.

Increased blood flow to the pelvic area causes engorgement of the genitals and, which is great for some women. This same engorgement that heightens the pleasure gives other women an uncomfortable feeling of fullness after intercourse ends. And sometimes, women find sex painful during pregnancy. Some women feel abdominal cramps during or after intercourse as the orgasm can set off a wave of contractions. These contractions are particularly noticeable in the third trimester. This can be unpleasant, but give it a few minutes. The tightening of your uterus will ease much like they do when you have Braxton-Hicks contractions.

The many changes in your body are likely to change your sex life. Some women feel sexier than ever since they are finally free from worries about conception and contraception.

Help us help you by allowing us and our partners to remember your device as having browsed MummyPages and serve you better content and ads

We're on a mission to help our mums and their families thrive by informing, connecting and entertaining.

Join us in our mission by consenting to the use of cookies and IP address recognition by us and our partners to serve you content (including ads) best suited to your interests, both here and around the web.

We promise never to share any other information that may be deemed personal unless you explicitly tell us it's ok.